Should UTH be mounted under the tank or on the back wall?
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Hermit_of_Hermit_Crabs
Topic author
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Guest
Topic author
something to keep in mind with putting the uth on the back wall is that unless you're taking the temperature near the pad, and in the air around it, you're not really seeing what it's doing. also it really depends on which kind of top you use with it for it to be effective. really the way that uth's are best (in my experience) are with a plastic top (i use vinyl and then mesh over that, so the mesh does not rust), this keeps the heat as well as humidity trapped in. also another thing to keep in mind is the temperature of the room that the tank is in. if your room temperature is already kept at 70-75 then the uth on the back wall will work just fine, it will provide your crabs with a nice little warm area since the rest of your tank is already to temperature naturally. however, if your room temp rapidly drops a lot, say at night or with season changes, then a uth will not work properly for your conditions.
with all that, i've been using uth's on the back walls of my tanks for the last 7 years and have never had a problem with keeping the temp or humidity fine. but- i also have the ability to keep my room temp adequate and have control over it myself. not everyone does. you really just have to take into consideration what your situation is and find the best thing to keep them.
i really don't care for putting them on the bottom, i've always had it dry out my substrate too quickly. and i've always had the idea that since in the wild the substrate gets cooler on the way down, putting a uth on the bottom makes it warmer on the way down- so that would be a little confusing for their natural instinct to dig down for a cooler space. i also only use one uth of the size recommended for the tank size, middle of the back wall. and if i take the top off and put my hand in, it is noticeably warmer in the tank than outside. the thing to keep in mind is to figure out what's the best way to heat your tanks for your situation and try it out, the same thing won't work for everyone.
also- uth's are removable, but it will void your warranty (so if it stops working and they realize at the store that you moved it you can't return it). as long as you slowly peel it off and don't bend it at extremes it'll work just fine. i've done it tons of times. just make sure to unplug it before removing it for your safety.
with all that, i've been using uth's on the back walls of my tanks for the last 7 years and have never had a problem with keeping the temp or humidity fine. but- i also have the ability to keep my room temp adequate and have control over it myself. not everyone does. you really just have to take into consideration what your situation is and find the best thing to keep them.
i really don't care for putting them on the bottom, i've always had it dry out my substrate too quickly. and i've always had the idea that since in the wild the substrate gets cooler on the way down, putting a uth on the bottom makes it warmer on the way down- so that would be a little confusing for their natural instinct to dig down for a cooler space. i also only use one uth of the size recommended for the tank size, middle of the back wall. and if i take the top off and put my hand in, it is noticeably warmer in the tank than outside. the thing to keep in mind is to figure out what's the best way to heat your tanks for your situation and try it out, the same thing won't work for everyone.also- uth's are removable, but it will void your warranty (so if it stops working and they realize at the store that you moved it you can't return it). as long as you slowly peel it off and don't bend it at extremes it'll work just fine. i've done it tons of times. just make sure to unplug it before removing it for your safety.